Kid Madden

Michael Joseph Madden

• Bats Unknown, Throws Left
• Height 5' 7", Weight 130 lb.

• Debut May 6, 1887
• Final Game October 6, 1891
• Born October 22, 1866 in Portland, ME USA
• Died March 16, 1896 in Portland, ME USA

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Biographical Information

Michael "Kid" Madden pitched five years in the major leagues. At 5' 7" tall, weighing 130 pounds, and making his major league debut at age 19, it's obvious why he was called "Kid". He played in all three major leagues of the time, with the most success as a rookie when he went 21-14 with the Boston Beaneaters of the National League in 1887.

He pitched amateur and minor league ball before coming to the majors, getting spotted when he threw well in an exhibition game against the major league Boston team, who then signed him.

However, his ERA's were always middling. His last year in the majors was with an American Association team, the Baltimore Orioles in the last year of existence of that major league.

Born in Portland, ME, he began in the minors with Portland in 1885, and after his major league days pitched some more in the minors with Portland as well as some other clubs.

He was not terrible as a hitter (as pitchers go), with a .245 lifetime major league average. In 1889 he hit .291 while in 1891 he hit .282. As comparisons, in 1889 his teammate King Kelly hit .294 while in 1891 the 18-year-old John McGraw hit .270. He umpired one game in the Players League in 1890.

In 1896 he died of consumption. An article in Sporting Life on March 14 was subtitled: "The Once Famous Pitcher Dying in Destitution".

Through 2013, there have been eight major league players with the last name Madden. Kid Madden was the first, while Morris Madden, also a pitcher, came up 100 years after Kid, in 1987.

"That idea of Charlie Ebbetts' regarding the idea of a baseball players' union is an excellent one, and ought to go through . . . Take the case of 'Kid' Madden. He has a deserving wife and two orphaned children, and yet the cry of the widow and orphans for help has been totally unheeded." - from Sporting Life, September 11, 1897

Notable Achievements

• 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (1887)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 2 (1887 & 1891)
• 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1887)

Related Sites

• Kid Madden at the SABR Bio Project
• Kid Madden on Find-A-Grave